SC to hear PIL in Mulayam's assets case

SC has fixed Jan 24 for hearing of a PIL seeking a CBI probe into the alleged amassing of disproportionate assets.

The Supreme Court on Friday fixed January 24 for hearing of a PIL seeking a CBI probe into the alleged amassing of disproportionate assets by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and his family members disproportionate to their known sources of income through misuse of their official position.

A Bench of Justices AR Lakshmanan and Altamas Kabir fixed the date after senior counsel Rakesh Dwivedi mentioned the matter and sought an early hearing.

Meanwhile, Petitioner Vishwanath Chaturvedi filed his rejoinder affidavit in response to the counter affidavit filed by Mulayam and his family members.

Chaturvedi alleged that the chief minister and his family members have amassed immovable and moveable property to the tune of several hundred crore rupees and the state government has contributed in their personal projects such as colleges.

Denying that he was Congress leader and that the PIL was politically motivated, Charurvedi alleged that the Yadav family liberally contributed crores from their MPLAD funds in the family assets such as school and colleges.

He said it was a clear case for the prosecution of the Samajwadi Party leader and his family members under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

He also prayed to the court to make public the Income tax and wealth tax returns filed by Mulayam Singh in this court in sealed cover as the same were public documents and there is no justification for these documents to be treated as confidential or secret.

Mulayam and his family memebrs in their counter affidavits had denied the allegations of the petitioner and termed the PIL as politically motivated aimed at tarnishing his image.